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Erik Ersberg
| birth_place = Sala, Sweden | draft = undrafted | career_start = 2005 | image = EErsberg.jpg | image_size = 225px }} Erik Ersberg (born on March 8, 1982) is a Swedish professional ice hockey goaltender, currently with HC Donbass of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Playing Career Erik started his ice hockey career playing for VIK Västerås HK in HockeyAllsvenskan (tier two in the Swedish league structure). For the 2005-06 season, he joined the Jönköping based elite club HV71. As a backup goalie behind Stefan Liv, he guarded the net for ten games in his rookie season, ending the regular season with a save percentage of .929. In the 2006 Elitserien playoffs, Erik played in two games with a .857 save percentage. The following season he got his breakthrough and became starting goaltender for HV71 and was also selected for the Swedish national team in the 2006 Karjala Tournament and Channel One Cup. Erik is somewhat of a late bloomer as he has never before played for the national team including youth and junior tournaments. In the 2006-07 season, he was nominated as the second candidate for the title Elitserien Rookie of the Year. On March 22, 2007, Erik was awarded the Honken Trophy, which is awarded to the Swedish goaltender of the year. On May 31, 2007, the Los Angeles Kings announced on their web site that they have signed him to a one-year entry-level deal. Erik the 2007–08 season playing for Manchester Monarchs in the American Hockey League (AHL)> On February 21, 2008, the Kings recalled Erik from Manchester, becoming the first Swedish-born goaltender in Los Angeles Kings franchise history. On February 23, 2008, he made his NHL debut against the Chicago Blackhawks at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Erik replaced Dan Cloutier, who was pulled in the second period with the score 5-1. The Kings scored four goals in the third period to tie the game 5-5 and send it into overtime, where the Blackhawks scored for the 6-5 victory. He allowed only one goal on 19 shots, but earned the overtime loss. On March 6, 2008, Erik recorded his first career NHL win and shutout. He made 40 saves to defeat the Ottawa Senators 2-0. He became the first NHL rookie to make at least 40 saves in a shutout since November 14, 1996. He also broke the Kings' franchise single game record for saves by a rookie, breaking Gary Edwards' previous mark of 38 saves during the 1971–72 season. For the 2010–11 season, Erik was assigned to the Manchester Monarchs. He proceed to leave the team without permission. On October 22, 2010, he was placed on waivers. After clearing waivers two days later, he had his contract terminated by the Kings for violating his contract. Since then, Erik has been playing for the Russian club Salavat Yulaev in the KHL. Career Statistics Post Season Statistics International Statistics Awards & Achievements *Awarded the Honken Trophy (Swedish Goaltender of the Year) in 2007. *Gagarin Cup in 2011 (Salavat Yulaev Ufa) International Play Erik has played for Sweden in the 2007 World Championships. Category:1982 births Category:Los Angeles Kings players